


What Friends Are For

by orphan_account



Category: Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: Andrew is a good friend, Hurt/Comfort, Steven deserves happiness, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21539926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Steven is going through a rough time and Andrew is there to help him through it.
Relationships: Andrew Ilnyckyj/Steven Lim, Steven Lim/Unnamed Girlfriend
Kudos: 25





	What Friends Are For

“Steven?”  
Andrew knocked on the apartment door, calling out to his friend.  
Today was Steven’s last day in LA before he moved out to New York and the two friends had planned to take the day off work to hang out together for the last time in months, until filming for another episode of Worth It would bring him back.  
They’d planned to meet up at the office because Andrew had had something to drop off before they headed out, but Steven had never shown up.

“Steven! Open the door! I know you’re in there!”  
He banged on the apartment door a little louder. He didn’t want to disturb the neighbors, but he also needed to know his friend was okay. That he was just being super paranoid for no reason and Steven was just late for some dumb reason.

“Go away.” Steven’s voice called back. It was the first time he’d responded since Andrew had started assaulting his door and it caused the shorter man to freeze, hand hovering just above the door where he’d been about to knock again.  
Steven definitely didn’t sound like himself. He sounded upset, maybe like he’d been crying.

Andrew started to knock again. There was no way he was going away now, not after hearing his friend sound like that.  
His knocking was brought to another abrupt halt when the door was finally whipped open, a distraught Steven Lim standing there before him.

The apartment was dark, no light came out. Andrew guessed that Steven had probably closed all the blinds and hadn’t bothered to turn the lights on. Steven himself was a whole other story.  
His hair, that was usually styled and taken care of with the utmost care from Steven himself, was disheveled and all over the place. He was in his pajamas and Andrew was willing to bet that they were the same pajamas he’d worn to bed the night before, meaning he hadn’t even gotten up to dress himself.  
His eyes, that were normally bright and teeming with life, were dull and irritated. They were red and Andrew took that to mean that his previous observation that his friend had been crying was correct.

The two stood there, neither quite knowing what to say. They just stared at each other, having never been in a situation like this before.

“I- I’m not in the mood to hang out today.” Steven managed to choke out. Andrew could tell it was taking all of his friend’s willpower not to dissolve into sobs right there and then in front of him. He shook his head.

“I’m not here for that. What’s wrong?”

Andrew hadn’t meant to, but clearly whatever was bothering his friend was a very sore topic. His taller friend broke down, nearly collapsing as a whole new wave of tears began. Andrew caught him, slowly helping him into the apartment and onto the couch. He turned on a light before shutting the apartment door behind them. He let Steven cry on the couch, watching from his position leaning against the wall.  
He wasn’t the best with emotions and didn’t know how to help without making Steven feel worse, so he hoped that his presence would be enough for now.

Eventually, Steven calmed himself down long enough to explain what had happened.  
His long-distance girlfriend from Ohio had finally decided to cut ties with him. Long distance relationships were just so hard to maintain, she’d said, even with him moving to a state that was much closer. She just didn’t have the time or energy to keep up a relationship like this anymore. She’d said it was better for them both to just move on and find other people to love.

“I don’t want somebody else. I want her.” Steven closed his eyes. This was a lot to take in, especially right before a big move.

Andrew fought the urge to insult the girl or tell Steven how he had never really liked her anyway, that wouldn’t help the situation at all, even if all he wanted to do was track her down and ask her how on Earth she could ever let a man like him go.  
Instead he sat down next to his friend and pulled him into a hug. It was strange.

He’d never initiated a hug like this with Steven, on or off camera. It was usually his taller friend who initiated all of the physical intimacy of their friendship. Andrew just wasn’t a touchy-feely guy.  
But he knew, in that moment, all Steven needed was for someone to be there for him.

“Instead of going out to hang out, why don’t we spend the day indoors. Like a movie day. It’s your last day in LA, let’s not waste it!” He offered his friend. The man in his arms relaxed, hesitantly looking up to meet Andrew’s eyes. 

“That actually sounds like fun.” He admitted softly, smiling slightly.

Andrew grinned back.  
For the rest of the day, they did just that. Sat on the couch, ate popcorn, laughed and joked about dumb stuff, watched movies.  
He would miss this when Steven left the next day for New York. Sure, he had other friends. But Steven had no one in New York.

Who would comfort him on his loneliest days while he was there alone?

“I think… I think I’ll be okay.” Steven muttered as they laid on the couch. The sun had already set, and Steven looked like he was about to fall asleep. Andrew popped some popcorn into his mouth and raised his eyebrows.

“I was worried about going to New York. I was considering if I should postpone moving because of this but… I think you reminded me that I should go. I mean, sure it’s scary. I’ll be alone for a while. But no matter how alone I feel, at the end of these few months I’ll be back again to film Worth It. I can get by if I have something familiar to look forward to.” He smiled faintly. “Thanks for being here for me today, Andrew. I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for you.”

“Probably still sobbing on the floor.”  
Andrew got hit in the face with a pillow for that but as they laughed it off, he couldn’t bring himself to really mind. 

“That’s what friends are for, Steven.” He promised. And he meant it.


End file.
